Here we are at July 8th and what happened to the last two days, don't know!!!

 TERRY

As I write Terry has the TV on and the newspaper but I do not think she is reading it yet.  She fell out of bed a few days ago and broke her toe.  We now have a rail up and perhaps I should have had that up before the fall but who knew.  She has an appointment to have her toe looked at in a few days.  Her foot is black blue and she says it often hurts so another look will be good.  She has not been out of bed for a few weeks.  That is not good and I need to encourage her to get into the wheelchair and out to the living room.  That is about it for now.

Here we are approaching mid July and the weather here in Naples will tell you that.  The days high temps usually are in the low 90s every day!!!  That along with the humidity makes it feel some days as if it is above 100.  I think the weather said yesterday it was 103 taking into consideration the humidity.  Not ideal for tennis for sure!!!

Really I have not been doing all that much.  Yes, of course, I take care of Terry and actually that takes much of my time but really there is plenty of time to do things and I just kind of don't get things done.  Well to be honest there is not a lot that needs to be done but I could arrange, clean or get things in order but most things remain as they are day in and day out!!!

I have make some progress on a 2023 calendar but I tell myself there is plenty of time for that.  I do enjoy finding pictures etc as I must have 1000s of them in print and on the computer.  

I will finish up with a story of what I really enjoyed in the summer when it happened.

A Sunday on the lake

I felt that Lake Tewaukon was MY lake.  In the summer Dave and I pretty much used the lake for our bathtub daily.  We had NO bathtub at home so when the days work was finished we would grab a towel, soap and washcloth and head the half mile north.  Dave always had the big bike and I the small bike.  If the wind was from the east the lake would be nice and clean.  If it was from the west there were be a film of green near the shore.  If that were the case we would need to wade out beyond the green water which would be maybe 5 feet or so and then wash up.  I would say almost 100% of the time we would be the only ones there.  

But on Sunday it would be different.  Up until I finished high school the lake was open for swimming, fishing etc.  After that the Wildlife took it over and it was for the birds, really!  But during the summers of the late 50s and early 60s it was a destination for Sunday.  There would be boats and many people having picnics in the afternoons.  There were times that we enjoyed people we knew from Cayuga as they came to swim and enjoy the lake.  The Saunders would sometimes bring their canoe with the sale on it and of course GAIL would come as well!!!  We would spend many a summers swimming, boating and just having fun.  It was a special time for me as it seemed like I was way way out of the loop in terms of friends.  We lived 25 miles from the high school and the kids from high school who went to the lakes often went to Silver Lake which was south of Rutland.  But there were time when Lake Tewaukon was a bee hive activity.  I would often get my golf clubs out and play my one hole golf course from the house to the ditch by the mail box.  If or when a car went by that I knew I would jump on my bike and head to the lake.  I had this stretch swim suit that was blue with a while band around the top and I thought I was pretty hot!!!  It is fun to remember back on those days.  After I left home the Wildlife took over the lake and I am not sure if swimming is even allowed now.  It is a like for the birds so to speak.  The families right by the lake were bought out by the Wildlife and forced to move.  It was at that time that Ricky had to move but I think it took place after he left home.  Anyway, for sure, during my last three years of high school Lake Tewaukon was an oasis of fun as I felt I was alone during the week.  Dave had left home after my freshman year of high school so it was up to me to find things to do when I was not doing farm work.  It was then that I made my golf course, cleaned up the old hog barn, cleaned up the old shed that blew down and other things as well.  Dad was into hunting.  Dad was into photography.  Dad was not into improving the farm in any way.  I say that not to criticize but just to say that was who Dad was.  

Here are Janet, Joan, Dave and myself.  I am guessing this was taken in maybe 1950 and if that is correct Janet was 12, Joan was 8, Dave was 6 and I was 3.  It is funny as I look at old pictures.  We had a house that was warm and really warm in the summer but it was far far from fancy.  We had enough food but NOTHING fancy.  We had clothes that often came from Aunt Ragna in CA.  But with all that we did not have on most pictures we always had a smile.  INTERESTING!!

So I close today with a thankful heart for where I came from.